This applicant filed an application, patent application Ser. No. 08/539,595, on a computer monitor copy holder which was abandoned. Subsequently, applicant filed a second application, patent application Ser. No. 08/805,007, on 02/24/97 entitled A Version of the Original Computer Monitor Copy Holder For Preventing Repetitive Strain Injury which was abandoned. Subsequently, on Dec. 29, 1997, applicant filed a third application, U.S. Pat. No. 08/998,748, entitled Copy Holder for Thin Computer Monitor for Preventing Repetitive Strain Injury which was abandoned.
The present invention prevents and eliminates repetitive strain injury and cumulative trauma disorders in a computer operator.
Specifically, the present invention prevents and eliminates repetitive strain injury and cumulative trauma disorders of the soft tissues of the neck which directly or indirectly cause pain and disability associate with the use of a computer monitor and an upright laptop configuration.
The present invention is a device that prevents repetitive strain injury to soft tissues of the neck which causes cervicalgia and cervicogenic pain and disorders of head, neck, shoulders, upper extremities, trunk and visceral organs.
The present invention eliminates and reduces the repetitive lateral, turned and rotatory movements of the neck and head of a user of a computer monitor, an upright laptop configuration and a prior art copy holder.
The present invention follows the same ergonomic principles and achieves the objectives setforth in said applications. Specifically, this present invention is a copy holder to be used with any and all types of computer monitors and upright laptop configurations to prevent computer-related repetitive strain injury.
The present invention has many advantages over prior art copy holders.
One of the advantages of the present invention is that the copy holder can be used with any and all types of computer monitors and upright laptop configurations. Another unique feature is that the copy holder of the present invention is a framework adaptable to align and hold copy without being attached to or supported by any component of said computer monitors and upright laptop configurations.
Moreover, it is obvious that the present invention is adaptable to hold, maneuver and align copy with a wide range of weights and dimensions
In said applications, the background of the present invention was discussed. This discussion is reiterated as follows.
Cumulative trauma disorders and repetitive strain injuries in workplace to moving body parts of a worker are well known. It is widely recognized among supermarket cashiers, assembly workers, keyboard typists, or in any settings involving repetitive motion. Said injuries are especially common and well recognized among computer operators.
The prevalent thinking is that aforementioned injuries are the result of cumulative and repetitive strain occurring locally to the local tissues of afflicted body part. For example, in carpal tunnel syndrome, it is commonly believed that repetitive stroking of the keys of the computer keyboard by the fingers eventually and causally resulted in the cumulative traumatic disorders of the flexor tendons and tendon sheaths and, consequently, compressive injury to the adjacent median nerve in the same carpal tunnel. However, this hypothesis is most likely incorrect.
Based on aforementioned and other unproven hypotheses, prior art devices are used locally to protect the local structures by attempting to minimize the local trauma to the tissues. Examples of such devices are adjustable split keyboards, wrist pads and forearm supports. Other devices are various types of splints and orthoses for the wrist. However, the effectiveness of these devices remains unproven.
Recently, new scientific evidence indicates that the cause of cumulative trauma disorders and repetitive strain injuries manifested as pain and related symptoms such as paresthesia in the hands, arms, shoulders, torso, neck and head in computer users may be a result of an injury to the neck
Cervicogenic problems of the upper body including those of the upper extremities are well documented in the scientific literature. For several years, this patent applicant, who is a physician, has treated daily aforementioned and other cervicogenic problems of the body. Common painful and disabling conditions of the body distant from the neck but are of cervicogenic origin are epicondylitis, bursitis, tendinitis, tenosynovitis, myalgia, neuritis and swelling of distant tissues from the neck, etc.
Lateral and/or rotatory movements and subsequent maintenance of the head in a stationary lateral and/or rotated positions cause substantially more sprain, strain and injury to the cervical joints and soft tissue structures than monoplanar (extension/flexion) movement or maintenance of the head and neck in a stationary anatomically physiologic, non-turned position. Persons with preexisting conditions such as cervical spinal stenosis, arthritic cervical joints and facets, bulging cervical discs are predisposed and more prone to repetitive strain injuries and cumulative trauma disorders. Said injuries eventually occur in an operator who repetitively turn and/or rotate the neck and head and/or hold the neck in a turned position.
Unknowing to computer operators, prior art copy holders cause and promote said undesirable motion. The result is sprain, strain and injury to the cervical joints and soft tissue structures.
In summary, the biomechanics of the human neck is not designed to tolerate said repetitive motion associate with the use of prior art copy holders. Based on the law of physics, said nonphysiologically repetitive motion of the neck cause immense stress, strain, derangement of and trauma to the cervical tissues. In a computer operator with underlying unhealthy cervical structures, such as cervical facet arthritis, herniated intervertebral discs, and worse, cervical spinal stenosis, said injuries quickly ensue.
The present invention eliminates and prevents said injuries and disorders.